Comparing BigStock vs. Shutterstock vs. Adobe Stock

If you or your company need to create print designs for advertisements, it’s always great to complement them with exciting visuals. However, you might not have the time or budget to create photos or illustrations from scratch. That’s where stock photography sites come in handy. They are a quick and easy way to purchase and add a visual component to your designs. Here’s a look at three of the top stock photography sites and how they compare to each other.

BigStock

BigStock is one of the best stock photography sites out there. It’s super affordable and offers a wide range of images and illustrations. It has a straightforward and inexpensive pricing model that makes it a good choice for small businesses and one-off projects. Its customer service is also great if you run into any issues or have questions about using the site. However, one downside is that their vector images tend to be a lot pricier than their photos. And it accepts user submissions so not all of their work is thoroughly vetted, meaning you might occasionally come across some amateurish images. Prices start at $35 for 10 images and go up to $495 for 500. Subscriptions start at $69 per month for five images a day.

Shutterstock

Shutterstock’s prices are a little higher than some of the other options out there. But the upside is that they offer extremely high-quality and high-resolution images that you can use in pretty much any print project, no matter how big or small. You can purchase a subscription plan if you intend to use it more than a few times a month, which can save you money in the long run. Prices start at $29 for two images and subscriptions start at $49 per month for 10 images.

Adobe Stock

Adobe Stock has a library of over 40 million photos, illustrations, and vector images, and a huge network of graphic designers and photographers since Adobe was already an established name in the design world. Images start at $9.99 and subscriptions start at $29 for 10 assets per month. It’s not the cheapest option, but you can cancel your membership risk-free in the first month if you’re not happy.

Overall Best: BigStock.com

Our choice for the overall best site for most business needs would be BigStock! It’s the most affordable, especially if you need a lot of images each month, has a great selection, and is a well-run company with live chat and phone support.